The development team behind Monster Hunter Wilds faces a challenging task in innovating new weapon types for the series. Dive into their process of weapon balancing and get the latest updates on the MH Wilds x MH Now collaboration event.
Monster Hunter Wilds Developers Considering Adding A New Weapon Type
The Monster Hunter (MH) series, a staple in gaming for over a decade, is contemplating the addition of a new weapon type. In an insightful interview with PCGamesN on February 16, 2025, Monster Hunter Wilds Director Yuya Tokuda discussed the potential of introducing a 15th weapon type to the franchise.
Currently, Monster Hunter Wilds offers players a selection of 14 weapon types, unchanged since the introduction of the Insect Glaive in Monster Hunter 4. Tokuda expressed the team's ongoing interest in exploring new weaponry, stating, "It’s not off the table for any particular reason, it’s just that we never really decided that we wanted to for the recent titles." He highlighted the complexity of integrating a new weapon without overlapping with existing ones, explaining, "With each title we always adjust all the weapon types and maybe bring new concepts to them and their relationships with each other to make them feel fresh. We also bring new depth with new combos and moves. The resources and time that it takes to do that is something that, in every case since the last weapon was added, we’ve always decided were better spent bringing the whole lineup to a better place than to simply start adding another new one in."
Capcom On Tweaking Weapons For Monster Hunter Wilds
Capcom's commitment to innovation shines through in their adjustments to the weapons for Monster Hunter Wilds. Features like Focus Mode and Power Clash have been introduced to enhance gameplay. Director Tokuda emphasized the importance of community feedback from the MH Wilds beta, yet cautioned, "We don’t want to change anything so drastically that it doesn’t feel like that weapon any more."
Tokuda elaborated on the weapon balancing process, saying, "We have a concept in mind for each title where we think, ‘This is how the Insect Glaive will feel, this is how the Great Sword will feel.’" He added, "That’s just a concept, though – you can design it and test it, but it’s really only when the players get it in their hands that you can see if the concept is matching the reality and they’re having the experience you thought they would have."
Addressing the challenges in weapon adjustments for MH Wilds, Tokuda noted, "With the weapons in Wilds, one particularly difficult balancing decision was with the predecessor title being Iceborne, a lot of things were added to each weapon’s upper echelons of moves and abilities, because it was an expansion and was adding in the master rank difficulty level." He continued, "People who were playing a given weapon in Iceborne were assumed to have mastered the basics and it was going beyond that with adding new combos and moves and abilities."
Despite these challenges, MH Wilds is designed to be a fresh start, with Tokuda stating, "That was something that I took a lot of care to decide – not just to keep things because players liked it in the last game, but [ask if] it actually fits in with my concept for the play feel of this game."
Monster Hunter Now x Monster Hunter Wilds Collaboration Event Phase 2
Monster Hunter Now is gearing up for the second phase of its collaboration event with MH Wilds, celebrating the upcoming release. From February 28, 2025, players can encounter Chatacabra in MH Now and acquire 12 Hope weapons from MH Wilds. Additionally, two new layered armors—the Hope armor style and a Seikret mount-themed armor—will be available.
Players can also earn vouchers for various items usable in MH Wilds by completing limited-time quests, including Mega Potion, Dust of Life, Energy Drink, Well-done Steak, and Dash Juice. These vouchers can be redeemed across different platforms where fans play MH Wilds.
During a press briefing for Season 5 on February 18, 2025, Niantic Senior Producer Sakae Osumi teased future collaborations, stating, "This is the beginning of the collaboration between Monster Hunter Wilds and Monster Hunter Now, and we are planning to do more down the road. I would like to get more monsters from Wilds. We will work on it closely with Capcom."
Monster Hunter Wilds is slated for release on February 28, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay updated with the latest news on Monster Hunter Wilds by checking out our dedicated article.
